Relocation - have we considered everywhere or do you have any other ideas?!

[nellyelloe]

Hello!
So for very personal reasons, we have planned to totally relocate (away from England). It's been a very long time coming, but the right time is next year and we are so excited.

We have a few essentials to consider, mainly universal healthcare because both me and our child are T1 diabetic.

We also want somewhere very pretty, with a slower pace of life.

I want to know if we are missing other places to consider. This is our once in a life time chance. So far, we have considered (and obviously have been to) these places:

-West Wales
-North Wales
-Isle of Man
-Channel Islands
-Scottish isles (inner and outer Hebrides)

We are happy to go further or consider literally anywhere!

What about up the other side from Belfast to Carrickfergus?

Rothesay ( town on Bute) is run down and has been for decades.
Alcohol misuse is very high and there is much more drug misuse than you would expect amongst teens.
The local high school isn't great.

You aren't considered local until you have lived on the Island for three generations.
There is considerable local gossip and everyone knows everyone's business.

It is a very safe place to raise dc but I wouldn't recommend for teenagers honestly, particularly not if you have information you want kept private.

I think most Scottish Islands would be the same or worse.

I visit relatives on both sides of the Irish border and have always pondered living in or close to the areas they do. I won’t ever do this due to having too much of an urban streak. Well, probably, and if I didn’t live in London, it would be Spain that beckoned.

That said, if you have a UK passport, N Ireland is a possibility. Have a holiday where you tour around in a loop? Alternative universe me would live west of the Bann.

I would say Skye as you can use the bridge to drive to the mainland/hospitals if need be.

Skye is absolutely enormous though- takes over 2 hours to drive from one end to the other.

I don't live there (London) but absolutely love Aberdeenshire. Would you consider that?

Skye is also plagued by tourists! I'm not sure it really fits the bill of quiet rural dream when you'd be in convoys of american tourists everywhere you went for half the year.
There's a reason you can buy a 7 bed house on Bute for under half a mil.....
With a child about to go into 6th form i would seriously consider the school / college options before you move. The Scottish education system is very different to the English one and if they want to do A-levels you'd be looking at the private sector.....although if they're thinking ahead to university the paid fees north of the border could be a bonus (but check the criteria as I don't know the details of how it works).

Why not Powys? That is where I plan to go when my son leaves home. Or there are some lovely bits of rural Shropshire.

Have a look at Ballycastle in NI. We go on holiday there every year and it’s beautiful, but looks like a proper town with schools and regular bus services as well.

I grew up in very rural England so v keen on regular bus services for teenagers!!

Isle of Wight.

North Wales would be my choice in your situation. I love Conwy, Llangollen and Bala Lake.

We relocated to Ballycastle in NI in the summer and it’s beautiful. The most gorgeous seaside town and the people have been so welcoming, it’s the best thing we ever did!

BIL and his partner (both English, non-Welsh speaking) have lived in North Wales for 15 years and feel very welcome there. I suspect it probably depends on the sort of area you live in - for them, more sporty, outdoorsy type areas and not really traditional small villages. I love where we live (rural England), but if I was to move anywhere else, it would be North Wales.

That said, you have a 6th former (I assume this is your adopted child from what you described). Do they not wish to go to uni? Or move away to pursue a career or training of any sort? Is it just you are looking for a home base that is outside of England and they can return there for Christmas, etc once they have flown the nest? Some of these places would have quite limited work or high education opportunities for a young person, so that's something I would consider as well.

If moving to a tourist area, I would visit in summer and in winter to get a feel for it on and off season. We live in a place that is a bit of a tourist destination, but more more is on the way to a major tourist area. It's wonderful all year (though very rainy), but July and August the roads are a nightmare. It's tricky to do a food shop or get anywhere dependably quick as you can just end up sitting in traffic for quite a long time. We have to plan around the traffic on Friday/Saturday/Sunday. It's still a small price to pay for living somewhere so beautiful, but it's definitely something to consider.

What on earth is your teenager going to do on a Scottish island? FYI, all the local teenagers will be looking for ways to escape to the mainland, to find work, study, get a career, meet people.

When you talk of buying on an island using a mortgage. have you looked at local work opportunities, and wages? Remember, wages are rock bottom but the cost of living is much higher. Property prices are high, driven by tourism andsecond homes.

Have you ever spent a January fortnight on a Scottish island? barely 8 hours of daylight. Rain and wind. Ferry cancellations ( =no post, no papers, no deliveries to the supermarket or petrol station. No, you can't go to the cinema; it's mobile, and not due for another 6 weeks. Oops, another power cut. No TV either.

What about Gower? Beautiful beaches. Near swansea for hospital and if you want a small town / large village feel then Mumbles is lovely. You’d get a good 3 bed for £400k.

@nellyelloe no, no adverse effects of moving here at all - they have been very welcoming. Same with the kids, they're enjoying learning Welsh. Their school's first language is English so that has helped. It's been lovely, honestly.

I returned to NI recently with my English dh. Neither of us are religious. Bangor- Belfast is lovely but busy with commuters.I prefer up towards Jordanstown. Traffic into town easier, on the coast, some lovely walks and closer to the Antrim coast. Ballycastle as suggested is also lovely. Royal Hillsborough is also a great village. If you want a buzzier place (more city) then stormont, ballyhackamore, Lisburn road and malone are all great.

To the person describing NI people as 'ditsy', I did chuckle as this is one of the last descriptions I'd use. NI people are known for their fast witted humour and are very on the ball!

Any reason you've ruled out Argyll? All the benefits of Scottish islands but with mainland access and delivery services. I lived near Oban for 14 years and would go back in a heartbeat.

From a wildlife point of view, quite similar. As Turtle says, a little quieter on the people front. Well placed for exploring up towards the very pictuesque Giant's Causway/north coast. But a little tricker on friendly areas - Antrim is a bit more politically polarised than Down.

As I said, those are all the areas we've looked at and are considering, but not made a decision yet.
Our teenager is adopted and isn't your typical teenager.

Even if they aren't your typical teenager they are going to need to study or earn a living.

Opportunities for both are very restricted on Scottish islands, particularly post high school.

I would also add that small island communities aren't particularly forgiving about differences and diversity is often a significant issue.

Don't over romanticize living on one.

In all honesty I would choose either the lowlands of Scotland or England with your health needs.

Neither the Channel Islands nor Isle of Man have universal healthcare plus huge costs moving there. Wales is pretty but had nothing but problems with the healthcare (ended up re registering my student dd back at my home in England). Scottish islands are pretty until you have a medical emergency, as type one diabetics this is a possibility and you don't want to have to rely on them scrambling a helicopter or the plane to get your child to paediatric high dependency facilities (there's limited adult care in the Highlands and Islands but they still airlift if worried) we have a relative that airlifts people!

How about loch lomand area?

Also bare in mind in rural/island Scotland many children have to board. Perhaps look at the Shetlands as they have a decent hospital but factor in ferry costs regularly to Aberdeen (shopping for anything other than the supermarket is limited) and flights, my friends keep a couple of thousand in an emergency travel bank account and said many islanders try to do the same thing. Another place with a hospital but rural is Inverness

Oh and it's very dark in winter (though the fire festival was amazing!) I actually love the Shetlands but I know it's not for me

I just wanted to clarify the IOM does have universal health care but does not have a big hospital. Specialist treatment is generally done in Liverpool and the government pays for transport as any accommodation costs although usually just for the patient. Obviously a parent can accompany a child.

That said I would imagine the type 1 diabetes would be managed on Island as I know they have a diabetes centre.

Oh and the IOM does have an established A&E and ICU. They have to cope with motorcyclists every year during the TT races after all!